A historic home built in the 1880’s in Roseneath was damaged beyond repair and was torn down on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
The fire was discovered by a person living across the street from the residence and called 9-1-1.
When fire crews arrived the rear portion of the home was fully engulfed in flames.
Neighbouring fire departments from Hamilton Township and Trent Hills were called to assist.
Alnwick/Haldimand Township Fire Chief Mark Diminie said with the amount of fire showing upon arrival fire crews went into a defensive attack fighting the flames from the outside of the home.
“It was evident the fire had been burning for quite awhile before it was discovered.”
With the amount of fire showing at the back of the home, the safety of the firefighters was a primary concern.
“We had a house that’s fully engulfed at the back, it’s vacant, there was nobody inside. For the most part, the house was lost before we even arrived. The guys did their best to mount an interior attack, but once the fire progressed into the roof, the Incident Commander decided for safety reasons to pull the guys out and go into a defensive attack.”
The house had been for sale since October listed at $324,000 and there was even a showing by the real estate agent on the weekend.
The owners also had been doing renovations periodically.
Diminie said the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office did not come to the scene and, “without the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office coming in to do some testing for us, unfortunately we may never know.”
Over the years, the five bedroom home was a residence, office, post office and restaurant.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
